This invention relates generally to ladder accessories and more particularly concerns an adjustable span stabilizer for use with ladders of various structural configurations.
Typical ladders consist of a pair of side rails spaced apart by a plurality of rungs. The side rails are commonly of tubular or channel-shaped cross-section with the narrower walls extended along the front and rear surfaces of the rails. The ladder width is generally in a range of 18 to 24 inches. The upper ends of the ladder rails are usually leaned into contact with the supporting surface to position the ladder for use. Often, the supporting surface does not have rail-end resting points for which are suitably spaced to allow positioning of the ladder in a most convenient location in relation to the work to be performed. For example, in exterior building applications, windows, chimneys, roof angles, dormers, building corners and other variations from flat wall conditions can make convenient and stable positioning of the ladder a difficult, and sometimes impossible, task.
In response to this problem, a number of spacing devices have been conceived to adapt the ladder to the supporting surface. Some of them connect to the over the upper ends of the rails and, therefore, can be used only on the very upper end of the ladder. Others connect between two rails, so they can be used at different elevations on the ladder but interfere with other use for the supporting rungs. Some use a single width-wise fixed tube which telescopes to the left and right, but this severely limits the total spanning width that can be achieved and may also compromise the strength of the device. Most are so complex that it is difficult to adjust the position of the device along the height of the ladder and to adjust the width of the span and/or the depth of the device in relation to the supporting surface.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a stabilizer for ladders which is capable of adjustment to span relatively wide obstacles on the ladder supporting surface. Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizer for ladders which is capable of adjustment to accommodate corner surface applications. Still another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizer for ladders which can be mounted at different heights of the ladder. A further object of this invention is to provide a stabilizer for ladders which does not slide over the upper ends of the ladder side rails. Yet another object of this invention to is provide a stabilizer for ladders which requires use of only one rung of the ladder to secure the height of the stabilizer on the ladder. It is also an object of this invention to provide a stabilizer for ladders which can be easily repositioned at different heights on the ladder. Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizer for ladders which can be easily adjusted to vary its span. And it is an object of this invention to provide a stabilizer for ladders which can be easily adjusted to vary its spacing from the ladder supporting surface.